Chapter 2: Leaving (Part 2)

The handsome old man observed for a while before saying, “There are too many… We can’t handle them. It’s a pity… The fragments of sacrificial treasures here are several times more than on the shore. Fighting underwater is different from on land. That kid doesn’t even have sacrificial treasures for underwater use—relying only on his life talisman blade is asking for death.”
Guo Shier thought for a moment before saying, “There’s no need to risk our lives. Let’s just leave this secret realm.” He felt he had already gained enough; no matter how many treasures were in the sea, there was no need to risk their lives to obtain them.
The handsome old man said, “Well, I know a secret realm that would be perfect for you to train in. I just don’t know if it still exists. After we leave this realm, I can take you there. Maybe that place is more suitable for you.”
Guo Shier rejoiced, “Great!” He knew how rare a special secret realm was. If he tried to explore on his own, it would be difficult to find one that satisfied him.
Xian Ruidai glared at the sea resentfully, her face filled with disappointment. With countless treasures right in front of her yet out of reach, the little girl was extremely upset—after all, she was a super money lover.
Zhou Xiaoling pulled her aside and said, “Sister Xian, we should go now.”
Xian Ruidai said, “Sister Dingding, it’s such a shame… There are so many fragments of sacrificial treasures, and who knows, there might even be complete ones!”
Zhou Xiaoling was more sensible. She said, “It’s useless if we can’t get them.”
Since the Wild Battle Secret Realm was a closed realm with only one fixed entrance and exit, no talisman gates could be used. Therefore, Guo Shier and the others had to go to the entrance to leave the realm.
Back at the entrance of the secret realm’s small city, not long after entering, Guo Shier and the others were surrounded by a group of professionals—mostly mid- to low-level ones—all staring at them eagerly. Xian Ruidai got angry and punched a professional who got too close, sending him flying.
Guo Shier said sternly, “What do you want?”
One of the professionals smiled insincerely, “Don’t misunderstand, we just want to communicate with you!” The group of professionals stepped back slightly. Since Xian Ruidai had already punched a Wild Master, everyone realized this little girl wasn’t easy to provoke.
More and more professionals gathered around, leaving Guo Shier and the others puzzled. The man continued, “Don’t misunderstand. We’re from a trading company and want to buy what you’ve obtained in the secret realm—whether it’s exchanging materials or purchasing them, the price is negotiable.”
Ying Mo asked curiously, “Are you all…?”

A group of mid-to-low-level professionals chattered loudly, saying things like, “I’m from such and such a merchant guild,” “I belong to such and such a family.” Some offered discounts in exchange for materials, while others were willing to buy at high prices using the universally accepted gold talisman currency across the continents. Guo Shierou shook his head. He now understood that ordinary professionals would never be able to resist such temptations.

The Eagle Demon shouted, “Stop! We have nothing to exchange nor anything to sell. Everyone, disperse!”

Someone cried out, “How is that possible! After going into a secret realm, one should at least be able to find something useful!”

The Eagle Demon had no choice but to unleash the pressure of his soul, instantly scaring away the group of mid-to-low-level professionals. Only then did they realize these were high-level professionals, and in no time, they had all left.

Guo Shierou and the others exchanged glances, puzzled as to why those people had fled so quickly.

The handsome old man said, “Let’s leave here. I feel like some experts are coming.”

Guo Shierou said, “Let’s go!” They flew along the main road toward the entrance. In less than a minute, they reached the steps leading to the entrance. Seeing the huge entrance framed by doorways, Guo Shierou rushed out without hesitation. The others followed closely behind, flying out at full speed with great confidence.

Upon arriving at the outdoor square, Guo Shierou said nothing and simply activated a cross-dimensional talisman there, shouting, “Go!” No one understood why Guo Shierou was in such a hurry, but thanks to the unspoken understanding formed during their time in the secret realm, no one asked questions. One by one, they followed Guo Shierou through the talisman portal.

The people in the square were stunned. Few people used talisman portals here. As the portal gradually disappeared, two professionals flew out of the secret realm’s entrance. One of them said, “Huh, they ran away?”

The other asked, “Look, they left using a talisman portal. Should we chase after them?”

“Never mind. Maybe they’re disciples from some family coming for training. It’s better not to be too forceful. Let’s go back.”

The two shook their heads slightly and turned to leave.

……

After passing through two secret realms and three continents in a row, Guo Shierou finally stopped. He realized that once his soul power reached a certain level, controlling cross-dimensional talismans became easier than before.

Xian Ruidai felt a bit dizzy. She said, “Brother Shierou, how can you run through so many secret realms and continents so quickly… It’s easy to get lost outside!”

Guo Shierou smiled bitterly. “We’ve already been lost. It’s not just today that we got lost.”

Xian Ruidai was shocked. “You’re lost? That’s troublesome.”

Guo Shierou said, “It’s not troublesome. We’ll just search slowly… We’ll definitely find our way home.”

Xian Ruidai suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, Brother Twelve, why were you in such a hurry to open the talisman gate after we left the secret realm… well, it seemed like we were trying to escape?” The little girl was very smart and had already noticed something was wrong, but as a member of the team, she had to act together with everyone else even though she sensed something was off.

Guo Shier smiled and said, “Two experts were chasing after us, so of course we had to run. They seemed to be professional experts with altars; we weren’t a match for them.”

Xian Ruidai asked curiously, “How did you know?”

The old man suddenly appeared on Guo Shier’s head and said, “I said so.” Then he disappeared again.

A head suddenly appeared on his head, and another voice came out—not a soul fluctuation, but actual speech—which scared Xian Ruidai so much that she hugged Zhou Xiaoling tightly and screamed, “Oh my god… you scared me to death…” Then she cursed, “Old man, are you trying to kill me?”

Everyone was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. Guo Shier was also extremely surprised; it was the first time he had heard the old man speak. Suddenly, he realized that the old man’s soul was beginning to solidify. With enough soul energy, he could form a physical body like a Spirit Beast. Of course, this physical form was just an illusion and still very different from a real human.

Zhou Xiaoling tried to hold back her laughter and gently patted Xian Ruidai’s back, saying, “It’s okay, don’t be scared.”

Xian Ruidai took the opportunity to act spoiled in Zhou Xiaoling’s arms. Having had few chances to play with peers since childhood, she was very close to Zhou Xiaoling.

As she grew older, Zhou Xiaoling gradually became more composed, less domineering than before, and showed a bit more tenderness. Back when she first met Guo Shier, she was a little violent girl. After years of wandering the world, she had been changing little by little. She smiled and stroked Xian Ruidai’s head, saying, “You’re already a high-level Great Sage, yet Sister Xian is still so mischievous.”

Xian Ruidai wriggled her body and said in a coquettish voice, “Sister Dingding…”

Zhou Xiaoling said soothingly, “Alright, Sister Xian, stop being naughty.”

Zhang Yaojin asked, “Twelve, what continent is this?”

Guo Shier replied, “This continent… we probably haven’t been here before. This is our first time. Um, there are no annotations, so I don’t know which ancient family’s territory this is.” In the inheritance memories of the Gu Mi Luo family, there were many unannotated talisman gate coordinates. As long as they could be used, Guo Shier would give them a try. Since they were already lost, whether it was a different continent or a secret realm, he would give it a shot.

The handsome old man poked his head out again and said, “Kid, no matter which continent you end up on, it’s best for you to find a place to cultivate and stabilize your soul first. You guys too… once you’re stable, then look for a secret realm—a place suitable for cultivation.”
Guo Shier said, “I’ve tried that secret realm’s coordinates. We can’t go there for now.”
The handsome old man said, “Don’t go too far either. Just find a place on this continent to cultivate. With so many souls in your possession, you need to stabilize your own soul.”
Guo Shier felt something was off, but he couldn’t explain why. He agreed, “Okay, let’s first find a suitable place to settle down.”
In truth, the handsome old man wanted to stabilize his own soul by using the soul fluctuations caused by Guo Shier’s chanting.
This continent was of a very ordinary type and was already in a state of decline. Generally, continents in their active phase were lush with vegetation and full of vitality, while those in decline were mostly deserts and wastelands with sparse trees, withered plants, and scarce water sources. The people or natives living on such continents were usually quite strong, as the weak had difficulty surviving.
Eagle Demon said, “This place isn’t good.”
Guo Shier said, “Regardless of whether it’s good or not, we need a place. Uncle Eagle Demon, you go ahead and scout around to see if there’s any suitable spot to settle.”
Eagle Demon nodded and said, “Okay, follow me.”
They hadn’t flown far when Eagle Demon stopped. He said, “There’s actually a small village here… it looks quite ancient. Shier, do you want to go take a look?”
The so-called village consisted of seven isolated thatched huts, surrounded by sparse trees and grass. Most importantly, there was a pond of water. This was the only source of water they had found along the way, seemingly fed by springs.
Guo Shier said, “Let’s go down and take a look!”
The group landed by the pond. Xian Ruidai said, “Sister Dingding, let’s wash our faces.” The young girl loved beauty and liked to stay clean. Seeing the clear pond, she couldn’t resist the urge to wash her face and hands.
A person stepped out of one of the thatched huts. Upon seeing Guo Shier and the others, he was stunned. Then he saw Xian Ruidai crouched by the pond and quickly shouted, “Hey! Don’t touch the water in the pond!” Then a few more people came out, each armed with knives, guns, or clubs, charging over aggressively.
They were all strong men, tall and burly, roaring threats.

Xian Ruidai was frightened once again. Angered, she raised her hand and swung a palm strike. Countless phantom talismans converged into a single palm, which slammed forward with a howling sound. She cursed, “Get lost!”
From the thatched houses arranged in a V shape, seven or eight burly men rushed out, but five of them were sent flying by Xian Ruidai’s palm strike. She flipped her hand and struck again, shouting shrilly, “Go! Go! Go!” With three more strikes, the last one was aimed at the thatched house, collapsing it in one blow.
No one expected Xian Ruidai to go berserk. Seventy or eighty people emerged from the seven thatched houses, each armed and charging forward.
Guo Shier said, “They’re local natives. Well, they have the strength of low-level talisman warriors, but they’re not professionals.”
A tall man holding a spear shouted, “Who are you? Why are you attacking our village?”